Posted: Sat 30 Oct 2010, 09:29 Post_subject:
Try the Grub4Dos and make a rescue. Here's how.Sub_title: You can try the Grub4Dos without any change on your HDD

This article is an introduction of Grub4Dos for all papians not used to the Grub4Dos.

(preamble)
All papians need to try the Grub4Dos. Why?

New comers from windows: You need to use Grub4Dos.
Puppy can install frugal on Windows partitions(NTFS).
But only the Grub4Dos can boot it.

New comers from other distro: You need to use Grub4Dos.
You find Puppy can frugal install, and it is recommended.
But you will be surprised Puppy do not automatically install the boot loader,
and feel difficulty in manually editing the menu.lst because you are not used to the frugal install style.
Unfortunately you may install Puppy frugal on NTFS partitions, realize it cannot boot up from (legacy) grub.

Puppy experts: You needs to try Grub4Dos.
Tried other distro and see all the Puppy entries wiped out from the boot menu.
Trying many puplets with frugal. Feel it some difficulty with editing menu.lst manually.

Pupians hope to invite more friends to Puppy world: You need to learn how Grub4Dos works and easy and safe.
Otherwise, do you suggest to your friends complex or dangerous way?

My PC is installed the legacy grub, i used to, and i can manage it.
Do i need to try the new Grub4Dos?
I recommend you to make a Grub4Dos Floppy if your PC can boot-up from a floppy disk.
Or, make a USB pen drive installed Puppy with grub4Dos if your PC can boot-up from a USB pen drive.
You can try the Grub4Dos without any change on your HDD.
It will be a rescue of your system(Windows, Puppy and other distro).
So, it is worth to try.

My PC is already installed Grub2. Think Grub2 and Grub4Dos have no compatibility.
Same as the above. You can try the Grub4Dos without any change on your HDD.
Grub4Dos and Grub2 can co-exist. The recent version of Grub4DosConfig makes a menu entry chaining to grub2.
You can keep your grub2 settings even after you install the grub4Dos.

My PC has the MBR of Windows and I do not want to change it.
I am already using Grub4Dos by editing the 'boot.ini' and the 'menu.lst'.
What is new?
You can continue editing the menu.lst manually. But also you can use the Grub4DosConfig to make the menu.lst automatically.
Tick on the checkbox 'Do not rewrite the existing boot record' on the dialog of the Grub4DosConfig.
You may be used to editing the 'boot.ini', but the Windows Vista and 7 have not 'boot.ini' anymore. They have the BCD instead of 'boot.ini'.
Editing BCD manually is not safer than replacing MBR, I guess. But there may be a room for discussion.
Anyway, try the Grb4DodConfig without any change on your HDD.

(our target)
How does the rescue FD/USB work?
If you select 'Find menu on HDD', you can boot up the PC with existing Grub menu. It can be of Grub4Dos or legacy Grub.
(The recent Grub4DosConfig has another menu for Grub2.)
The 'Windows' menus can boot the Windows up directly even if the MBR/PBR is broken.
It will be a rescue if you loose the boot loader from the MBR.
(The boot menu of Grub4Dos floppy/USB)

(preparation)
Where can I get the Grub4Dos?
Grub4Dos is built in recent Pyppies, Wary, Quirky, LupQ, and etc.
If your Puppy does not have, you can install the latest grub4dos-0.4.4.v1.6.3.pethere.
Works on any Puppy-4.x/5.x.

(main)
How to do?

Insert FDD(it will be erased all the data), or USB pen drive(any size is OK, but needs 640MB free space if you install Puppy on it).
Next 3 step is to install Puppy on USB pen drive. Skip them for FDD.
(If you are running LupQ, you can use the 'Frugal Installer', skip next 3 steps)

For the USB, format(if you can erase all the data) with any of you like.
If you like Windows compatibility, recommended is NTFS.
To do it firmly, clean up the USB device using Gparted:
Delete all partitions on the USB devide,
create new partition table (Device >> Create Partition Table) ,
Then make new partition and format.

Optionally, frugally install in the USB device. Make a directory, say 'puppy', at the top layer of the USB device.

Optionally, if you like to install Puppy in the USB device, copy the required files, vmlinuz, initrd.gz, *.sfs into the new directory.

Run from the main menu, 'System' > 'Grub4Dos'(grub4dosconfig).

Select the FDD or the USB device for the 'Where to install' at the first dialog.

Answer 'OK' for all the dialog.

Reboot the PC.

You may need to select the boot device to the FDD or the USB device

(Next step)
Works well. Can i install it on the MBR?
If you are comfortable with the Grub4Dos, install it on the MBR.
Do not worry. You already have the rescue measure.

(Tips and Traps)
Whit is the trap?

Multiple Windows
Some PC has multiple Windows installed but old versions of grub4dos menu boot up only the first windows, it can be for emergency but not usual use. Grub4DosConfig v1.6.1 and later supports these case. Or, add the entry in the /mnt/sda1/menu.lst.

Code:

Title Windows on /dev/sda2
rootnoverify (hd0,1)
chainloader +1

Note (hd0,1) can be other numbers. you boot from the removable USB media, swapping map is needed. See this post.

grub4dos-0.4.4.v1.6.x and the 'BootFlash'
The 'BootFlash' makes incompatibe partition table. Go through cleaning up the USB flash with gparted.

Delete all the partitions on the USB devide.

create new partition table (Device >> Create Partition Table).

Then make new partition and format.

grub4dos-0.4.4.v1.6.0 on Wary-098
grub4dos-0.4.4.v1.6.0 on Wary-098 gets panic with full installed Linuxes.
It can occur on other Puppy 5.x in some case. Upgrade to the latest version.

Lucid Ubuntu(9 and 10)
As for the most recent Lucid Ubuntu(10.04),
it may fail to boot up with the new configuration.
(Was the bug of grub4dosconfig v.1.5.2, fixed at v.1.5.3 and later.)
Make 2 links, vmlinuz and initrd,img, in the '(Ubunto partition)/boot'.

Other distro
The description like 'root (hd1,0)' in the /mnt/sda1/menu.lst may need to be edited.
The 'hd1' can be 'hd0' or another number.
It depends on the BIOS settings on the order of the HDD device.
You may need to edit or add 'root=/dev/sda1' or 'root=hd2', etc at the kernel option. for example:

Code:

kernel /boot/vmlinuz root=/dev/sdb1

I believe it is easy if you are used to the (legacy) Grub
because the description of the Grub4Dos is compatible with the legacy grub

Chain to Grub2
Most recent version of Geub4DosConfig makes an entry chaining to grub2 in the boot menu. You can select 'Find Grub2' from the boot menu and run the Grub2 if installed.

Grub4Dos specific command
If you are used to the grub legacy, you may be unfamiliar with the next line:

Code:

find --set-root --ignore-floppies /puppy/initrd.gz

The Grub4Dos searches the file '/puppy/initrd.gz' from all the partition.
It is a replacement of 'root (hd1,0)' or like that of the legacy grub.

Code:

uuid 787639df-ff57-4372-8f11-5db31e523889

The Grub4DosConfig v1.6 and later uses the partition UUID locating full installs instead 'root (hd1,0)' or like that.
You can use the command of the Grub legacy you used to because theGrub4Dos is upper compatible with the Grub legacy.
For example, next 2 works almost equally.

There is a serious problem with Bootflash and Grub4dos.
USB flash devices treated by the 'BootFlash' corrupts with Grub4DosConfig v1.6.2.
SOLUTION:
New Grub4DosConfig v1.6.3 manages this issue. But you need not upgrade the Grub4dosconfig.
Re-format the USB device using gparted before using Grub4DosConfig (back up the data before).
1. Delete all the partition
2. Rewrite the partition table (Device >> Create Partition Table)
3. Create partitions and format._________________Google Chrome portable
Downloads for Puppy Linux http://shino.pos.to/linux/downloads.html

I have a 511 Quickset edition Puppy and want to install Grub4dos. I choose Menu/setup/ Installing Utilities/Grub4Dos bootloader config. It installed Grub to the MBR but it leaves grldr and menu.lst at sda1.

I have a 511 Quickset edition Puppy and want to install Grub4dos. I choose Menu/setup/ Installing Utilities/Grub4Dos bootloader config. It installed Grub to the MBR but it leaves grldr and menu.lst at sda1.